I love audiobooks. I have a monthly subscription to audible.com and love the free books from librivox.org. So lately I’ve been thinking about the use of audiobooks in the classroom.

I’ll start with the obvious. Listening to a book is pleasant. For very young children, it’s more than enjoyable, it’s a critical part of their literacy development. Listening to books helps children develop a positive attitude about books and increases their motivation to read.

When formal reading instruction begins, audiobooks can be a powerful instructional tool. Following a written text while listening gives students examples of fluent reading and helps them develop decoding skills. It’s fun and can inspire students to read printed books on their own.

In addition, many assigned texts, such as Shakespeare, The Odyssey, and literature with dialect, are much more accessible when they are heard read aloud by a good reader. I found mp3 versions of many standard high school literature texts available for download from my local library. These audiobooks could be a great help to students and teachers.Read more...

The Pew Internet and American Life Project is a great resource for current research about the role that technology plays in our daily lives. In November, 2009, they released the findings from a new study, Social Isolation and New Technology, on mobile phones, the internet, and Americans’ social networks. This research contradicts a 2006 study claiming that these kinds of technology were making people more isolated. (Unfortunately, all the links I found to this original study seem to be broken, so it must not be available any more.)Read more...

If you’re at all interested in technology, you’ve probably heard a lot of buzz lately about “net neutrality.” Net neutrality is the principle that, basically, all content on the internet is equal. With a “neutral” net, people use the internet in any lawful way they like without anyone judging what they should or shouldn’t be able to do.

In October, the recently appointment chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, released a notice in support of net neutrality.  Some of his recommendations stated that broadband internet service providers could notRead more...

A recent article in the Oregonian, “High School Life with No Cell Calls and No Texting,” describes a new cell phone policy at Clackamas High School. If teachers or administrators see a cell phone, at any time during the day, in class or out, they confiscate the phone and return it to a parent.

While the author, Andy Parker, refers to student indignation at the policy, the final word in the article comes from the principal. He attributes a significant drop in behavior referrals to the cell phone ban, stating, "We've eliminated a significant distraction to learning. Our teachers are very happy."

The comments on this article are overwhelmingly supportive of the policy, with one, lone dissenting voice--“10 years from now, people will laugh about decisions like this.”

So where does the technology-savvy educator stand on this issue? Are cell phones distractions or can they be harnessed to improve student learning? Is it easier to “just say no” to cell phones than to develop policies that support their constructive use?Read more...

What Is a Portfolio?
One of the best assessment tools to help students become more self-directed and reflective is a portfolio—a collection over time of student work and reflections. As you probably know, there are two main kinds of portfolios: showcase portfolios that show a student’s best work and working portfolios that document a student’s learning. Some schools and school districts also require portfolios that demonstrate student learning and are passed on from teacher to teacher. Here, I’m going to be writing about working portfolios.Read more...

We hear a lot these days about creativity. How important it is in the classroom, the community, and the workplace. Creativity, however, is one of those squishy skills, difficult to identify, teach, and assess. For teachers accustomed to delegating “creative” work to the arts, encouraging this kind of thinking in core subjects, like science, math, and history, can be a challenge.Read more...

As a baby boomer with steadily declining vision, I am grateful that the computer make it possible for me to write and do research. By using simple, easily available tools, I can do pretty much whatever I need to online.Read more...